Can We Start Over?
by HopelessRomanticCookie
Summary: Five years after graduation, Katsuki asks Izuku to meet up with him at a café. Izuku did not see this coming, if he's being honest. Katsuki is just surprised he showed up.
1. Chapter 1

**Can We Start Over?**

**1.**

**Summary**

Five years after graduation, Katsuki asks Izuku to meet up with him at a café.

Izuku did not see this coming, if he's being honest. Katsuki is just surprised he showed up.

Izuku didn't believe that he'd show up.

Well, technically, it was Katsuki who asked to meet with him, five years after graduation. So, it shouldn't have surprised him when he saw that mess of blond hair through the windows, seated in the corner of the café.

But it did.

Izuku takes a deep breath, allowing the amount of oxygen to calm the ever-present anxiety in his veins. _It's just coffee_, he tells himself. _What's the worst that can happen_?

With the Kacchan he remembers, though, the worst always happened. Yes, his violence and aggression towards Izuku lessened over the years, and he would even loosely call them friends...but that doesn't change the fact that Katsuki bullied—no, _tormented_ him—for years. Though the wounds have had time to lose their fester, they were still there, buried deep inside him.

So, what the hell did Kacchan want to meet him for?

When he walked through the door, he saw that mess of blond hair look up, and when those red eyes met his, it took his breath away, like it did every time he saw them. Even though he hadn't looked at those eyes for half a decade, they still did something to him...and it confuses Izuku.

Katsuki met him half way, stopping a few feet from him. His eyes traveled up and down, as if cataloguing the ways Izuku had changed over the years. Izuku would be lying if he said he wasn't doing the same thing.

Katsuki was never small. He always had a large amount of muscle, but it always looked excessively bulky on a teen who hadn't truly finished growing. Now that he was a couple of inches taller than he used to be, his body is proportional now, and the muscle looks good on him.

Though, Izuku would also be lying if he didn't say that Katsuki always looked good to him.

The faint traces of blond stubble gleams on his face if he shifts his head in just the right light, and his jawline is sharper. His hair is the same, unruly mess as it was, and that makes Izuku smile a bit.

Izuku, however, had changed a bit more in the appearance department. He was only a couple inches shorter than Katsuki now, and he had become stockier than he was in high school. The baby fat had finally left his face, leaving him with a manlier appearance, while his eyes remained round and child-like. Izuku also decided to shave the sides of his hair, leaving a mop of curls on the top, attempting to better control his unruly hair.

It suited him.

Katsuki clears his throat. "Deku."

Izuku nods. "Hi, Kacchan. Long time no see."

Katsuki nods, before jerking his head towards the counter. "Want something to drink?"

Izuku makes sure to maintain his calm, but his voice comes out a bit shakier than he would've liked it to. "S-sure. Thanks."

They order, and once the drinks are obtained, he follows Katsuki to the same spot in the corner of the café.

They sit in silence for a while, both unsure of what to say...that is, until Katsuki clears his throat again. "Anyway, thanks for coming. Wasn't sure you'd show."

Izuku raises an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Um..." Katsuki trails off, and Izuku finds it hard to believe that Bakugou Katsuki is at a loss for words.

So, like the polite man Izuku is, he waits for Katsuki to gather his thoughts.

"Deku, I just wanted...I wanted to say that I'm sorry. For everything."

Izuku's eyes widen, but doesn't speak, allowing Katsuki to finish his thoughts.

"I was...such an ass to you. No, I was a fucking monster to you. For years. And I know that I hurt you a lot in many ways, and nothing I can say will change that. But I had to tell you that I'm sorry...and, I'm not the same kid I was. I've grown up a bit."

He falls silent, face contorted with many mixed emotions. "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing. I've never been good with...this..." He gestures between himself and Izuku with his hand. "I'm not...good at people. And I know you have every right not to forgive me, but you deserve an apology at least. So, I guess you could call this...that."

Izuku feels his eyes sting and sucks it up. He's not going to be a crybaby.

But Katsuki really just...apologized?

To _him_?

Well.

"Deku, say something."

Izuku brought his eyes up to meet Katsuki's, seeing a desperation in them that Katsuki would be too proud to admit was there.

"I'm just...surprised. That's all."

Katsuki stayed quiet, allowing him to gather his own thoughts. Izuku continued.

"For years, I just wondered why. Why did you...hate me so much, Kacchan? What did I _do_? What could I have done differently? Would it have even mattered?"

Katsuki shook his head, his hand tightening ever so slightly around his drink. "It's not what you did, but what you didn't do."

The confusion must be evident on his face, because Katsuki continues. "I treated you like literal shit, Deku. For years, I just...And yet, you still ran after me. You still wanted to be near me. You still wanted to be _there_. You should have just shoved me away. You should have spat in my face, should have turned your back on me. But you always wanted to help..._me_, the very person who gave the least crap about you. When the sludge monster got me and you just...ran to me, though you couldn't do shit about it? It pissed me off."

Katsuki's face scrunches up. "And then all the shit with UA and All Might, and I just couldn't understand how you could be so fucking..._good_. Yeah, I was fucking strong. Yes, my Quirk was badass and explosive. But Deku, you were always so fucking _good _and no matter what, even when you're at the most disadvantage, you _always _went out of your way to help people...even people like me.

"So, I was pissed when I found out about you having a Quirk because, not only were you a great person with a great heart, but now you were _powerful_. You were now everything I was and everything I could never be, and it _pissed me off_.

"Everybody you met liked you. You just had this..._way _of making everyone want to be around you and support you, while I didn't know how to let those who were stupid enough to follow me around actually be a part of my life...and I have nothing to show for it." Katsuki runs a hand through the mop of his hair with frustration.

"Not to mention, I was figuring out some stuff about me. Like, nobody knew, and few are close enough to know, that I'm fucking gay. I'm a fucking homosexual. And what the hell am I supposed to do with that, as a high schooler? Not really the most praised lifestyle for a guy _or _a hero.

"It's also something I used to bully you for in middle school, and I feel like shit for that too."

Izuku's eyes widen even more as the new information is brought to his attention.

"And since I am putting all my cards on the fucking table, I liked you, Deku. A lot. But, after the way I treated you, I couldn't admit it to myself until we graduated. By then, it was too late. So, I tried to forget it by going to America, but since I was surrounded by a whole bunch of gays, I couldn't help but think about it. It was all around me, since they're all so fucking flamboyant. And the more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself to get a fucking shrink and try to get myself to make things right."

Izuku felt his eyes water and, against his best efforts, a tear escapes him. He wipes it away as quickly and subtly as he can.

"What are you saying, Kacchan?"

Katsuki glares at him, and Izuku smiles internally at the familiar look. "You can say no... but, I want to start over. Izuku, can we start over?"

Hearing Katsuki say his actual name makes him freeze in shock. He can't remember the last time Katsuki said his _real name. _

_Is this real? Bakugou Katsuki is asking me to...be his friend? Like, _actual _friends?_

Izuku nods his head. "Yeah, Kacchan. Let's start over."

The smile that takes over Katsuki's face makes Izuku's heart stop for just a moment. It makes Katsuki look like they were kids again, before everything got so dark. It makes Izuku form a smile of his own.

After a bit of silence, Izuku leans forward.

"So Kacchan. What's America like?"

**~Can We Start Over?~**

As Izuku walks away, Katsuki watches him with this realization:

He still fucking likes him. Even more now.

As he walks to his apartment, he thinks about the conversation at the café.

Not only is he fucking proud of himself for following through on his promise to come clean, but he feels _lighter _for it...like, all the figurative bricks (or whatever the fucking saying is) fell off his chest and he can actually _breathe_, and he thinks that maybe the shrink was onto something. Maybe this 'being vulnerable' shit isn't as bone-shattering as he thought it was going be.

Not like a few broken bones ever stopped him. Get real.

Also, he didn't mean to out himself to Deku. But, if he's honest with himself, it had to happen. Not just because it was part of the apology, but Deku is fucking _hot_.

Like, how the fuck did he get that hot? With the hair all looking amazing and his body being built like a fucking brick wall, the couple of inches he's grown doing wonders, and...the _confidence_ he has now.

Yeah, there were moments where he saw the same old, nervous and timid Deku, and he doubts that'll change, but there is something about how Deku would match his banter with that big brain and sexy voice of his, and that twinkle of mischief in his eyes? With that came the thought that _holy fucking shit_ he could have taken him right then and there on that café table.

The old him would have been extremely pissed that Deku, of all people, made him feel such intense emotions, but after being in America for a few years, he developed the 'fuck it, it doesn't matter' attitude. Not to mention, he's more comfortable with that part of himself than he's ever been, and _damn_ is he glad for it.

Katsuki gets to his apartment and quickly unlocks his door, feeling himself get a bit more excited than he should be just _thinking _about him.

But excited he is. He can feel it pool into his core.

He needs a shower and he needs it _now_.

After spending an eternity in the shower trying to compose himself, he takes a look at his phone, which has a new message notification blinking at him.

He has never opened a message so fast.

**DEKU:**

_What are you up to?_

Katsuki smiles to himself before typing.

**KATSUKI: **_What, missing me already, Deku?_

The reply comes faster than Katsuki was ready for.

**DEKU: **_Enough to ask if you want to get dinner with me this week._

Katsuki feels his face heat up and his heart jump into his throat. Ballsy, Deku. Very ballsy.

**KATSUKI: **_Are you asking me out, Deku?_

The response makes Katsuki feel like a middle school girl with a crush.

**DEKU: **_ You weren't the only one who never got over it. _

**KATSUKI: **_Tomorrow night. I think I need to re-get to know you better._

**DEKU: **_Tomorrow it is then. Send me your address. I'll pick you up at seven. _

Katsuki is about to respond when another message gets sent to him.

**DEKU: **_Sweet dreams, Kacchan. I know mine will be. _

Katsuki puts his phone on the nightstand and lets out a long breath. Maybe he's bitten off more than he can chew.

But, if he's honest with himself, that makes it even more exciting.


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

**Summary**

It's the day of Izuku and Katsuki's date, and both are preparing for battle.

All morning, Katsuki has been nervous.

He _never _gets nervous.

"Damnit, Deku." Katsuki curses under his breath, not for the first time in his life, as he looks at his reflection. Fresh from a shower after a morning run, he looks at the image of himself, naked except for a towel tied around his waist. He knows he's attractive. It's given him a lot of grief with women and men alike, especially when he's bombarded after fighting a villain and all he wants to do is sleep.

He thought pushing himself to his absolute limit during his run would ease some of the tension and nerves he felt, but he's still as wired up as he was before he left his apartment this morning.

"_Damnit, Deku!" _Katsuki curses again, his fist tightened.

Now that he thinks about it, this is his first real...dare he even think it? _Date_. Sure, he's fucked people, but that's all it was. Usually, it was to try and forget the idiot who he is now going on said _date _with.

Katsuki takes a few deep breaths, following instructions that his shrink gave him a week before he moved back overseas.

"_Take a few deep breaths and think about what's got you upset. Once you figure out _what _ha_s _got you upset, think about _why _it makes you upset."_

Katsuki already knows it's that damn Deku that has him upset. The _why_, however, is the more pressing question.

Maybe it's because when he saw Deku for the first time in years, it unsettled him how..._different _yet the _same _he was. He'd changed a lot physically, and even the way he carried himself, as if he _knows _his worth. Yet, he still looked at Katsuki the same as he always has.

Like no time passed at all.

Maybe it's because Katsuki doesn't want to royally fuck this up..._again_. When Deku agreed to start over, the overwhelming sense of relief was enough to bring him to his knees...and that scares the shit out of him.

Maybe it's because, after all these years, Deku still has that way of making Katsuki feel unsure of himself, and he doesn't like the feeling of not being in control, _especially _over himself.

He doesn't like it one bit.

Gooseflesh starts to appear over his arms where the water dries in the air conditioning. He's about to royally freak out about everything all at once when he notices his phone blinking.

**DEKU: **_Goodmorning, Kacchan. _

Katsuki allows himself to laugh at the gif of a kitten yawning that was sent with the message.

**KATSUKI:**___Morning, nerd._

A few moments later, there is another message with a picture.

**DEKU:** _All Might says hello. :)_

Katsuki smiles at the cheeky selfie Deku sends with his hair mussed from sleep, with All Might, whose arm is wrapped around...

_Auntie Inko?!_

**KATSUKI: **_All Might and Auntie Inko, huh? When did that happen?_

Katsuki watches the typing bubble pop up and disappear, only to reappear later.

**DEKU: **_It happened a year after graduation. Honestly, it doesn't even seem real sometimes. But I'm happy for them. Mom deserves someone like him, and he deserves someone as amazing as her._

Katsuki doesn't know how to respond to that.

**DEKU: **_They've kept it surprisingly private. It's amazing the press didn't find out sooner haha. _

**DEKU: **_What are you up to?_

_Damn, Deku. As chatty as ever. _Katsuki thinks, but not in a negative way. It's endearing... _Damnit, Deku...making me soft and shit._

**KATSUKI: **_Not much. Went on a run and took a shower. You?_

**DEKU: **_Damn, that's more than I've done. I've been kinda lazy this morning. Had breakfast with Mom and All Might. That's it._

Katsuki is about to type something when another message pops up.

**DEKU: **_I gotta go. Mom needs my help with something. Talk to you later?_

**KATSUKI: **_Sure. Tell Auntie Inko I said hi._

**DEKU: **_Will do! :)_

Katsuki's annoyed that he misses the dumb conversation already. It's his third day back and he doesn't know what to do. After living in America, busy with countless jobs and missions, coming back here to a country that is a lot smaller and a lot less crime infested is a strange place to be.

After throwing on some clothes, he decides to reach out to an old friend; someone he truly considered a friend. After digging around his contacts, he takes a deep breath.

"Hey man. I'm back in town. Wanna hang?"

**~Can We Start Over?~**

"Bakugou! It's been fucking forever!" Eijiro Kirishima pulls Katsuki in for a hug, which Katsuki returns.

"I know. I've been overseas for a bit."

Eijiro sits at the bar in Katsuki's apartment, taking everything in. "How was that, by the way? I mean, I saw your posts on social media, but we haven't talked in a while."

Katsuki offers Eijiro a beer, and he takes it. "It was...interesting. American culture is a hell lot different than Japan."

"I bet."

"I was working with a fucking amazing company and got to see a lot of cool shit. Remind me to show you some of the pics I didn't post."

Eijiro raises his beer. "You better. But I have to ask Bakugou, why come back?"

Katsuki sighs and rolls his neck to relieve some of the tension. "There's something I had to make right."

Eijiro raises an eyebrow as he takes another sip of his beer. "Yeah?"

"I met with Deku yesterday."

Eijiro stops in his tracks, his eyes wide. "Wait, you're fucking serious? Woah. Why?"

Katsuki drums his fingers on the counter. "I apologized to him."

Eijiro looks around him, lifting his beer to look under it. "Wait, where the fuck did Bakugou go? Who the

hell are you, man? What happened in America?"

Katsuki rolls his eyes at his friend. "Shut the fuck up, dipshit. It's been five years. I'm allowed to change, aren't I?"

Eijiro lets out a hearty laugh. "I mean, true. A lot's changed since you left."

Katsuki takes a sip of his own beer. "How's life going for you, man?"

He listens to Eijiro talk about his company, and the girl he is seeing. Eijiro talks about the members of Class 1-A, summarizing what Katsuki missed the past several years. Round face Ochako and Four Eyes Iida got married last year, Asui became head her own company, specializing in rescue missions, and the others have managed to do well with themselves.

"What about Half-and-Half?" Katsuki asks.

"Todoroki-san? He started a non-profit for orphans with Quirks. He funds the whole thing with his hero company he started up. Get this, it is almost as popular as his father's. They're rival companies."

"Figures." Katsuki takes a sip of his beer.

"Also, he and Midoriya-san had a thing."

This makes Katsuki choke on his beer.

"_What_."

Eijiro snorts at his reaction. "Yeah. They had an on and off again thing for a few years. I don't know what happened, but they haven't started it up again. I mean, they suit each other, kinda? I mean, Midoriya-san has had a couple of relationships but that one lasted the longest...Bakugou, are you okay, man?"

Katsuki feels his palms heating up and takes a few deep breaths to keep them from exploding the bottle in his hand. "Fine."

Eijiro waits for him to calm down and speak, knowing that pressing him will only make it worse. After taking a few deep breaths, Katsuki feels calm enough to speak. "Deku asked me out."

Eijiro's eyes widen. "That's bold. How did he take it?"

"Take what?"

"You turned him down, right?"

"Why the fuck would I turn him down?"

Eijiro raises his hands. "Woah, woah, woah. I am missing information. Bro, are you _gay_?"

Katsuki rolls his eyes. "After all the times I wouldn't join your chase of women in high school, you never

figured it out?"

Eijiro shrugs. "I thought you were just focused on being on top."

Katsuki mutters something along the lines of, "I'm always on top" before drinking more of his beer, causing Eijiro to bust out laughing.

He smiles a bit as he watches Eijiro wipe tears from his eyes. "Shit, Bakugou. Didn't see that coming."

Katsuki smirks mischievously, choosing to hold back another quip.

Eijiro regains his composure. "Okay, so you're gay...but, _Midoriya-san? _What happened to you hating him and shit?"

Katsuki shrugs. "I never hated him, dipshit."

Eijiro stares at him. "Bro, you beat the shit out of him on multiple occasions, _and _consistently made fun of him."

"I didn't know how to fucking express that I liked him, okay?"

"All this time, you tormented him because you had a fucking _crush _on him?" Eijiro exclaims.

"Well, that and other things. But I'm not discussing any of that with anyone but Deku."

"Fair enough." Eijiro concludes. "Well, I guess tell me how it goes."

"Kirishima, I... I need your help."

Eijiro points at himself. "Me? Why would you need my help?"

Katsuki mumbles something. Eijiro rolls his eyes. "Can't hear you, Bakugou."

"I've never been on a motherfucking date, okay?" Katsuki admits begrudgingly. Eijiro nods, as if he could understand why. "Fucking, I know how to do. But..._dating_? What the _fuck _is any of that about?"

"Bakugou, you're overthinking it." Eijiro starts. "All dates consist of is going out and getting to know the person you're interested in. Just...go with the flow."

Katsuki runs his palms down his face. "I hate this. I hate feeling so...fucking _out of control_."

Eijiro stands up and stretches. "It's a good thing. You need someone to take the reins every now and them. Just go with it, Bakugou. Midoriya-san's a good guy, as you already know."

Eijiro raises his forearm, bumping the back of his fist with Katsuki's. "Let me know how it goes. Don't be a stranger, eh?"

"Like hell you are. Later Kirishima."

Once he leaves, Katsuki flops onto his bed with a groan. "Go with the flow, huh? Fucking hell."

**~Can We Start Over?~**

Izuku walks back into his own apartment after running errands with his mom. Their weekly breakfasts and errands are the only times he really gets to see his mother, between hero work and interviews and non-profits, etc. Not to mention, his mom has All Might now and doesn't need him around all the time.

He loves them to pieces and is grateful they found each other but seeing them happy and lovey-dovey kind of freaks him out. It also makes him anxious about his own love life.

Izuku has tried to move on. He even had a relationship with Shoto on and off for a few years, but after trying to make it work, he just kept finding that something in him just wouldn't let it happen.

He couldn't get over a certain timebomb.

Which is insane because now he is going on a date with said timebomb, and to make matters worse, it was _his _idea!

Part of him is annoyed with himself because, after all, isn't this the same person who made life a living hell for him ever since middle school? Isn't this the same guy who, day after day, put him down and degraded him for _years_?

Shoto never did that. He was always respectful and looked at Izuku as an equal, but for _some reason_, he couldn't let himself have that because he was hung up on a _god damn timebomb_.

When Katsuki messaged him asking to meet up, he almost didn't show up. But it was the fact that, after all these years, _Kacchan_ messaged _him_, he had to go...if not to see what that was all about.

And... boy, was he surprised.

To hear the genuine apology was enough to have him question his sanity for a few weeks. But, Kacchan _confessed to him_.

Even if he said it in the past tense, the fact that he came all the way back to Japan with the singular goal to _apologize _to Izuku shows that he is in the same boat as Izuku.

They're adults who are hung up on past loves and failures.

Izuku thought it was bold of himself to ask out Katsuki. But, after the man he met in the café, how could he not?

When Izuku began that first conversation with Katsuki, he could already tell how much he had matured.

Not just because of the way he took Izuku's backtalk (good natured, of course), but just the way he carried himself. He wasn't the same timebomb. He was...calm. He was open. He actually talked to him like an equal, and if that doesn't preach for itself, Izuku doesn't know what will.

And that smile...

That smile had his heart in need of resuscitation.

Izuku has always admired Katsuki, ever since they were kids. He is strong and capable, determined and stubborn, persistent and passionate. He's so intelligent and knows how to think around a situation. He is so sure of himself-

At least, that's the way he thought Kacchan was. When he told Izuku why he bullied him, it kind of made sense. Especially if he had feelings for Izuku that whole time...

Izuku shoves his face into his hands, feeling like he is in middle school all over again, realizing his feelings for his best friend are more than just platonic. Taking a couple of deep breaths, Izuku regains his composure.

Izuku vows to show Kacchan just how much of a man he's become. He's not the unsure and timid Deku that Katsuki remembers. Tonight, he is going to make Katsuki fall in love with him all over again, and he'll have no choice but to keep his eyes on Izuku.

**Notes:**

_This is part one of THE DATE. I honestly don't know how long this fic is going to be, because I'm not planning on making a separate arch or anything, like my other fanfictions. I'm just going to see how this goes!_

_Stay tuned! _


End file.
